My Little Pony: Warfare is Tragic
by VonOppendown
Summary: There's always a feeling, when a pony is walking through the Everfree Forest, that some unseen eyes are following you. Sometimes, though, that isn't just your nerves... Rated for slightly darker themes. Presence of OCs confirmed.
1. Prologue: Old Wounds

My Little Pony: Warfare is Tragic

AN: There has been much speculation as to the possible presence of a recurring villain in the upcoming second season of FiM, which is now less than a week away. This story is my concept of what such a villain could possibly be, and how the story would play out with them. Rated for possibly frightening imagery and darker themes. Any and all commentary is most welcome!

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><p>Prologue: Old Wounds<p>

-Cavalon, 1000 years ago-

Ashes swirled around Celestia's hooves as she strode though the empty boulevard towards the meeting ground, and the awaiting enemy commanders. All around, the dying embers of the previous nights inferno glowed; each a reminder of the heinous act whose burden she alone would carry, a symbol of the lives she had snuffed out to force this settlement. Her face did not betray the storm of emotion within her: she had to appear strong and resolute, or the suffering of so many would have been for naught. But even as she fought to block them, the screams of terror still echoed in her mind…

_Run! She's coming this way!_

_Goddess, they're trapped!_

_Mommy! Please, get up!_

A fallen helmet caught her eye: it was still glowing cherry red, flames dancing eerily along its ridges, sheltering a pile of ash that had presumably once been its wearer.

"They were so brave…", she whispered, "Reckless…" The images came rushing back to her of the Cavalonian soldiers she had annihilated the night before; ponies who stood no chance before the full power of the Sun itself, but fought on regardless. They would charge down open streets, they would ambush her, by themselves or in whole platoons, it didn't matter how, they would try to slow her down. None of them could possibly survive her wrath, but the soldiers were desperate for anything to buy the fleeing civilians a few more precious seconds. "…fearless."

If her escorts had heard their mistress' muttering, they didn't show it. The two guard captains marched wordlessly in perfect formation, their practiced pageantry utterly at odds with the enveloping miasma of desolation. Expertly timed hoof-falls echoed between the burnt husks of buildings lining the street, breaking the otherwise absolute stillness in a way that seemed almost officious and rude to the Princess.

The trio passed under a shattered archway as they reached the edge of the meeting ground: a town square of sorts for this district. Phantom winds stirred the omnipresent ash into a translucent fog, transforming the Cavalonian delegation into specters, barely at the edge of visibility. Had the horror of the situation not anchored her in the reality of what she had down, Celestia would've insisted this were a dream. Instead, reality had become a nightmare from which there would be no awakening, a nightmare of her own creation.

Now, she stood not ten paces from the victims of said nightmare. The three Cavalonians were a sorry sight, coated as they were in the soot of their homes, but stood defiant and proud. Silence filled the square, seemingly daring the assembled ponies to even twitch. A sudden cough from her right broke the quiet in an unutterably ignominious way, and a second was desperately choked down as Captain Bastion fought to avoid looking like a complete idiot. Rolling his eyes, Captain Grave stepped forth, doing his best to look intimidating to make up for his compatriot. Not an easy task considering he only came up to the Cavalonian commanders chins.

"Bow before Princess Celestia, ruler of all Equestria!", he barked. Celestia's opposite, a red-tinted old buck who was missing an ear, snorted derisively in response. Grave huffed, but simply continued in his pontificating; anything to get him out of this sordid affair as fast as possible. "As of this moment, the people of Cavalon are considered to have surrendered themselves to the mercy and judgment of Equestria and its ruler!"

"And what is our merciful judgment, then?" The Cavalonians voice was thick with contempt.

Celestia breathed deeply as she prepared her final crime against these people, "For offering your praise and worship to the traitorous Princess Luna, the people of Cavalon are herby banished to beyond the great mountains of the west. You are never to return to Equestria, or any of the lands that border it." She stared into his eyes, feeling his burning hatred for her lancing from them. "Do you accept the terms of surrender?"

In the distance, a beam weakened by the blaze collapsed, its fate echoing across the square in a haunting roar; as though voiced by some great beast in its dying breaths. A momentary eternity passed as the Cavalonian glared at her. Then his lips broke into a sneer, "We accept."

"You are to have this city entirely vacated by this time tomorrow. Anypony found still within the city will forfeit their life."

"Very _gracious_ of you, your highness." With mockingly overstated deference, he bowed extremely low, his forehead nearly touching the ground, and stayed that way just long enough to dispel any possible shred of doubt as to his actual thoughts on the matter. His head snapped back up to level with the Princess', daring her to accuse him of disingenuousness.

Celestia merely nodded, "Then we are concluded. Go in peace, Commander."

"And you as well, Princess." The raw quantity of venom is his voice wished her anything but as the commander turned on his hoof and departed. In short order, the Cavalonians disappeared into the ashen fog; the only traces of their presence were their hoofprints, quickly washed away by the mournful sounding winds.

"Your majesty, we should be leaving too."

"You two can go. I wish to be alone for a while."

"As you wish m'lady." The air around her was whipped to life as the captains departed for Canterlot, no doubt eager to put this whole affair out of mind. For a few moments, Celestia was still, looking for all the world like an untouched version of the collapsed memorials that littered the square.

A single, choked sob wracked the Princess' form as her emotions finally overwhelmed her. How could all this have happened? Less than a week ago, she and her sister were enjoying lunch together in the grand halls of Canterlot, utterly carefree. Now, Luna was sealed within the moon, transformed by jealousy and bitterness into the monstrous Nightmare Moon, and the nation of Cavalon was being made to follow suit, a fate they would likely not survive.

The wind churned to life, echoing through the hollow shells of the buildings around her, the sound twisting into a cruel laugh, as though the world itself was mocking her situation. The Princess who had lost her sister and her benevolence in a single swoop, now the plaything of cruel fate. Her tears flowed freely onto the ash-coated ground, washing away a tiny river to reveal the alabaster stone beneath. She paused, almost transfixed by the tiny speck of white in the ocean of gray, as a thought came to her.

There is always hope, no matter how bleak things may be.

Newfound resolve filled her heart, and the despair that had clung to her for the past week washed away. She would from this, not wallow in it. She would ensure that these tragedies would never be repeated against another innocent soul, and, in time, perhaps even save her sister. The people of Cavalon could survive their exile, and she could repay them for what she had done. Not now, perhaps not in a hundred years, but someday, she would set things right again. She was, after all, immortal.

The Princess launched herself skyward and away from the ocean of her sorrow as she put her sins out of mind. She had much work to do, but she would find a way. Silently, she promised all those who had suffered that it would not be in vain.

As Celestia disappeared over the horizon, she hadn't noticed her shadow still stood in the square. The specter threw back its head, and another ethereal laugh drifted across the empty city, before evaporating into the mist to pursue the departing Cavalonains…

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><p>And with that, the story proper can begin. After all, a lot can happen in a millennium, but a lot can stay the same…<p> 


	2. Chapter 1: Just Like Any Other Day

My Little Pony: Warfare is Tragic

Chapter 1: Just Like Any Other Day

-Ponyville, Present Day-

It never took much to get Twilight Sparkle riled up, especially if it threatened her looking like anything less than a model student in front of Princess Celestia. The tongue lashing ponies risked by being even slightly slovenly in her presence had reached something of a legendary status in Ponyville, as had her nervous breakdowns. Some foals had actually taken to relieving boredom by seeing who could make her snap the fastest, with Snails being the current record holder at under a minute. Consequently, Spike informing her that the Princess would be gracing them with a surprise visit the day after a Sapphire Shores concert had trashed nearly half the town made her a bit panicky.

"WHAT?" It was moments like this that made Spike marvel that his ears still worked.

"Yep, just came in, she'll be here in a half-hour, and that she wants… to… Twilight?" The frantic clopping of hooves as she galloped out the door was all the answer he got. Sighing inwardly, he trotted out the door after her, hoping the inevitable commotion would do his job for him of getting the girls together. _C'mon, Spike, if you want a job done right…_ Chastising himself, the young dragon took off in the direction of the Carousel Boutique. After all, it was only gentlemanly to ensure that the ladies, especially Rarity, knew exactly what was going on.

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Ponyville's town square was, in a word, a disaster. The assorted detritus of a night of partying, dancing, and general levity was omnipresent, as were the ponies still blearily extricating themselves from wherever the revelry had flung them. As Twilight gawked in utter horror at the herculean task before her, Applejack was doing her level best to get Apple Bloom untangled from the mass of light cables on stage.

"Now, sugar, you're just makin' it worse! Quit jerkin' around like that 'till I get this knot worked out…" The cable gave a violent spasm, tangling itself several times more and undoing what little progress she had made. "That goes double for you, Rainbow!"

The dangling cocoon of wires with a rainbow-hued mop protruding managed a rough approximation of a shrug, followed by a rougher apologetic mush, "Srryh!" Applejack rolled her eyes as she returned to her work, determined to salvage some merit out of this cable-collecting gone wrong.

_This'd be a lot easier if I had fingers_, she mused, _Spike'd be really helpful right about now._ A furious scrabbling sound diverted her attention as a distinctly bedraggled Twilight clambered frantically onto the stage, looking just about ready to have a heart-attack.

"Applejack! Oh, thank goodness, you have to help me! Listen, we've got less than twenty minutes until she-gets-here-but-I-don't-think-this-is-gonna-"

"Whoa there, hon, just slow down. Only twenty minutes until who gets here?"

"Princess Celestia! She's making a surprise visit and this place is a mess!"

"Mm shrr shs snn wrs."

"I don't care if she's seen worse, Rainbow! What does this say about us? What's she going to think when she gets here and the only progress we've made towards cleaning up is a pile of confetti?"

As if to drive home the point that the universe doesn't respond well to temptation, Pinkie Pie erupted from the aforementioned mound with an enthusiastic cheer. "She's gonna think that the party was amazing!" One last swig of her soda, and she lobbed it away, smacking right into a trash can and adding its contents to the vast swathes of litter. "Ooh! We should totally have a party to celebrate how super-awesome this one was!"

Twilight's mouth contorted into a wordless scream as her preciously small success was lobbed into the air by Pinkie. Applejack put a comforting hoof around her, more than a little concerned about how quickly her eyelid was twitching.

"Twi, just calm down, and think for a moment. The concert was less than eight hours ago, I'm sure she'll be more than understandin' if we haven't exactly had time to gussy this place back up. Ya gotta stop stressin' out like this every time she swings by."

Twilight let out a monumental sigh, so deep that one might've been forgiven for thinking it was the first time she'd exhaled all morning. "You're right, AJ, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just letting how unexpected this all is get to me." A hearty, if nearly bone-shattering, slap on the back knocked any remaining air from Twilight.

"Atta girl! Now c'mon, help me untie these two before something else goes wrong."

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By the time Spike returned to the square with Rarity and Fluttershy, something else had, in fact, gone wrong.

"…and then I thought, 'Hey, that looks fun!' So I jumped in after Applejack, and it turns out I was right!"

"Getting wound up in a giant tangled mass of wires was fun?"

"It's an acquired taste."

"Yeah, that about rounds out Pinkie's contribution." Twilight was swinging lazily back and forth, her hindquarters trussed up in the cable's trailing end. "If we could discuss the specifics _after_ we've gotten out of this mess, I think I'm starting to black out."

"Right, let's see here…" Spike gave the loose end an absentminded tug as he began to weigh his options for proceeding. And that was all it took. With an almighty groan, the weight of the five entangled fillies, plus Spike's tug, overwhelmed the stage's support structure, which began to crack and splinter ominously. The stage bent inward, threatening to collapse if even one of them made an errant twitch. All eyes slowly turned to Spike, who could only grin and chuckle sheepishly in a vain effort to look as innocent as possible.

Then Angel hopped up onto the stage, curious as to what exactly was happening.

That did it.

As the Spike wiped the dust from the implosion from his eyes, a figure strode up next to him through the billowing cloud. "Need a little help, Spike?"

"No thanks, your majesty, I think we've got this- your majesty!" He immediately leapt to his feet and bowed as graciously as he could given the circumstances. The others rapidly followed suit, similarly constrained by their predicaments.

Princess Celestia smiled down at them, casting an appraising eye across the milieu with obvious amusment.

"That must have been one amazing party last night."

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Eager to put the whole stage incident behind them, the group retired to the library; the Princess had insisted on speaking with them somewhere private, an unfamiliar note of worry in her normally unflappable attitude. Apple Bloom, despite her objections, had been left behind to help dispose of the former performance venue at Big Macintosh's insistence. He had seen the look in his sister's eye: it'd be best if she didn't hear what they were going to discuss.

Upon arrival, they were greeted by several nervous looking guards who Twilight distinctly recalled not having been here when she left. Many more seemed to be cordoning off the approaches to the library, their steely glares discouraging any who thought to try and get a peek.

"Pray tell, your majesty, what exactly is so urgent that all this is necessary?" Rarity was quite understandably vexed by so much security for what, she had assumed, at least, was a social visit.

"It's my sister, Luna. She's been having trouble sleeping lately, plagued by nightmares."

"Oh my, that isn't good at all, definitely not. But… is that really so serious of an issue? Maybe she's just a little anxious, what with being finally back home and all." Fluttershy offered.

Celestia shook her head as she gazed out the window, "That was what we had both initially thought as well. But they repeat, night after night, and it's always the same. She sees visions of Equestria being assailed by a great and terrible army from the west, cities razed to the ground, Canterlot in flames, and a great black cathedral in the mountains. From inside the cathedral, she can hear a voice whispering to her to kill me."

A stunned silence settled over the room as the girls tried to process this revelation. Meekly, Twilight piped up, "But, princess, what does that have to do with us?"

The princess turned back to the assembled ponies, and what they saw shocked them: fear burned clear as day in her eyes. "The voice is that of Nightmare Moon."

"…what?"

"Does this mean that…?"

"Yes. She is still alive, though not as she was when you fought her. Now, she is no longer possessing someone's mind, she is made manifest through sheer force of willpower. A being like her can only physically exist in a place of extreme hatred and malevolence, and that place is most likely the cathedral from Luna's visions." She paused to collect her thoughts, "We sent scouts to investigate, but none ever returned."

"But why tell us this now? Why the urgency, why the secrecy? It's almost like you're afraid she'll… hear… oh no." A look of horrified realization crossed Dash's face as Celestia grimly nodded.

"We have reason to believe that she has agents nearby, and that they are hunting for the Elements of Harmony. Or…" She cast her gaze over the six girls, "…their wielders."

"This doesn't make sense! How could that much hatred exist in a single spot, and who would've built a cathedral, of all things, that far out in the mountains? Nopony lives out there, only dragons and griffons!" Twilight was absolutely desperate for some sign that this was simply another of the Princess' elaborate tests.

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, as though preparing herself for some immensely difficult endeavor, then motioned to one of the guards. Silently, he came forth, and the Princess extracted an impossibly old looking book from his saddlebag; a book that, in all her years of studying, not even Twilight had ever seen.

"Princess, what…?"

"As far as you, or anypony else knows, that's true. I admit, even I had forgotten what had happened: it's been over a thousand years." She cracked open the book and began to page through, hunting for some ancient article. Stopping, her eyes glanced back up to the group, "Have any of you ever heard of a place called 'Cavalon'?"

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On the edge of the Everfree Forest, unseen by even the most hawk-eyed of sentries, three figures silently observed the library, before slinking off into the undergrowth. Never betraying their presence, they made their way deep into the heart of the Forest, to a small temple, overlooking a high cliff…

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><p>AN: And so the first tendrils of darkness make themselves known. Caution, gentle reader, OCs await in the coming chapters.<p>

Please Read & Review! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 2: Nightfall

My Little Pony: Warfare is Tragic

Chapter 2: Nightfall

-The Everfree Forest-

Moonlight streamed down through the tangled mass of branches onto the five young mares, who were silently picking their way through the undergrowth, and Pinkie Pie, who was not. Her excited babbling about the landmarks from their previous trip to the ruins nearly a year before would've been enough to give away the group, even without the cacophonic thrashing of tree limbs as she zipped about.

Rarity had finally had enough, "If we're going to let her carry on like that, can we at least just walk on the path?"

"What's th' matter, you gettin' your hair tousled?"

"Mangled is the word I'd use, and I really don't see the point of sneaking about through this… shrubbery… if Pinkie won't be quiet!"

"For the last time, if Nightmare really has agents waiting for us, then the path is the most likely spot for an ambush." Twilight wasn't exactly enjoying the trudge either, but if Celestia offered advice, it was always a good idea to heed it.

Rainbow Dash fluttered up from the rear of the group as they entered a small clearing, "I dunno, Twilight. It seems like that racket would draw them right to us."

Twilight sighed heavily, "Look, I'm going to stick to the Princess' plan, but you don't…"

"Speaking of that, if the threat of these Cava-whatevers is so pressing, why didn't we just leave right away instead of waiting for nighttime?"

"I'm sure she has her reasons, now can we please keep mov-"

A suddenly flurry of motion in the bushes to her left cut off Twilight's admonishment as she leapt a good foot into the air, scrambling to face whatever had just announced its presence. The air hung deathly still for a painful moment as the herd braced themselves, utterly fixated on the offending plant.

Applejack hesitantly stepped forward, caution rote large all over her; even without the looming shadow of Nightmare Moon's minions, the forest was fraught with dangers, many of which could kill or consume an unwary pony in seconds. Another eternal moment passed: only a light breeze dared to stir the air, as though nature itself held its breath in anticipation. She took another step, afforded a modicum of confidence from her continued presence in the realm of the living. Her lips parted as she prepared to call out into the darkness.

The shadows of the treetops shifted slightly, dancing across the almost impenetrable surface of the bush, revealing a tiny sliver of color in its depths…

With an immense crack, the bush split in two as a pink blur erupted forth, scattering leaves and ponies with a resounding "BOO!" The girls fell atop themselves in their terror, desperate for any means of escaping from their now cackling pursuer, as Pinkie Pie's mirth echoed amongst the trees.

"Hah! Your faces were great! Hee-hee-hee, I didn't think eyes could get that large!"

Nervous chuckles indicated that her sentiment was not a popular one amongst her friends, particularly with the almost catatonic Fluttershy. Applejack, recuperating from a first-hoof lesson in heart attacks, stalked up to her with a grin that desperately wanted to be anything but.

"Kinda bad time for that sorta horseplay, dontcha think?"

"Aw, c'mon, a little jump now and then is good for you! Besides, if we loosen up a little, it'll make the trip that much faster!"

Twilight simply brushed past the two of them, frustrated at how this day really had it in for anything resembling a cohesive plan. "We can argue about this once we're there, but we're getting _really_ behind schedule, girls." The others quickly fell in behind her; quietly, too, she noted. Perhaps she'd finally gotten through to them.

Almost immediately, though, conversation began to float through the air again, so perhaps not.

"Seriously, why wait until dark?"

"Maybe they're really tired from walking all that way, so maybe they'll be sleeping tonight?"

"Or maybe they've evolved into reverse mole-ponies! They love being in bright lights, but darkness hurts them!"

"…Um, I don't think that's how evolving works… or light, for that matter."

The girls continued to debate the merits of their nighttime journey as they pressed deeper into the forest. High above them, a Pegasus dropped from its hiding place in the twisting maze of shadows, gliding silently into the fog.

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"How was I supposed to know that a squirrel could make noises like that? And I was just startled. Wasn't scared." Rainbow Dash was having a very hard time concealing her embarrassment.

Rarity giggled, "Well, I'm pretty sure that your screaming leap convinced it of your fearlessness."

The girls departed the old castle ruins in a much better mood than when they had arrived. Apprehension had given way to relief upon finding the Elements of Harmony utterly undisturbed, and the ruins themselves devoid of anything even remotely ambush-like. Even Twilight's paranoia had faded as the night wore on; not even the vaguest hint that something was amiss could be found.

That was before they had entered the Ghostly Gove, and an unmistakable pang of dread had shot up her spine. Something about it was utterly wrong. It wasn't the spooky looking trees: those had ceased to impress anypony older than the Cutie Mark Crusaders a while ago, nor was it the eerie echoing of Pinkie's jaunty humming amongst the trees. It was something illusive, just beyond the edge of her senses.

"Twilight, are you feeling okay?" She was snapped back to the conversation by a concerned looking Fluttershy. "You slowed down all of a sudden."

"Oh, yeah. Of course. Just got lost in thought for a moment there." A quick grin did little to dispel the other's concerns, but they let the issue drop for the sake of keeping this already long night as brief as they could. As the others returned to their previous bout of persiflage, Twilight found herself scanning the tree line. _It's just your nerves_, she thought, _It's been a long night, and you're just letting your drowsiness get to you_. Her interminable study sessions in Canterlot had taught her exactly what sleep deprivation could bring on: shadowy figures, phantom voices, trees bending inward inexplicably…

_Wait, what?_ She'd never seen that before…

With a horrifying tearing sound, the tree ripped free from the ground and slammed down mere inches in front of the group.

_Okay, definitely not just nerves._ "Quick! We've got to get out of here before… before…" Twilight's blood turned to ice as she spun away from the obstruction, only to find another patiently watching them. Barely twenty feet behind them stood a large, armor-clad mare, with a cruel grin playing on her features.

"Not before you pay your dues, I'm afraid. Don't know if you got the notice or not, but this is a toll road now." Her eyes narrowed slightly as the girls turned to face her, "One powerful, ancient artifact per pony, preferably of a _harmonious_ nature."

"And what makes you think we'd have something like that on us?" Rarity was having a bit of trouble mustering up a combative tone after almost being pancaked.

The mare chuckled slightly at this; a hollow, joyless sound that chilled the girls to their cores, "Cute. Really. I've been following you since you left the ruins, so unless you enjoy traipsing through dangerous forests at odd hours, I'm pretty sure I know exactly what you've got in those saddlebags."

Applejack pawed at the ground and snorted defiantly, "Then why don't you come and get 'em from us?"

"Don't tempt me. But if you think you've got what it takes, then just try and get past me, filly."

"…what did you call me?"

"Huh. I guess you're as deaf _and_ as dumb as a post."

While she'd never placed much pride in her intellect, her ego had a habit of bruising fairly easily, and Applejack charged before anypony could stop her. She was going to enjoy shutting this arrogant mare up. Violently. Then her quarry spun on her hoof, cocked one leg back, and kicked.

Applejack had never been hit by a train before, but as her vision exploded into a furious storm of stars, she was willing to bet she had a pretty good idea of what it was like. Moments later, a hoof cracked down onto her throat, and through her ringing ears, she made out the vaguely amused chuckling of her tormentor.

"Really? Is that seriously all you can take?"

"Applejack!" Rainbow lunged to her friend's rescue, "You let her go this instan-hurk!"

An orange streak rocketed out of the trees and slammed her to the ground, struggling to no avail as the wind was knocked from her lungs. The armored Pegasus smiled down at her condescendingly, "How 'bout, 'no.'"

Before the others could properly react, a wall of flame erupted around them, discouraging them from any interference they may be considering. Just beyond the burning veil, a unicorn, also attired in armored, trotted onto the fallen tree, regarding the trapped girls with a predatory smirk.

The girls shocked expressions elicited another burst of amusement from the mare, who wasn't giving any sign of releasing Applejack's trachea anytime soon. "Did I say 'I' was tailing you? Sorry, I meant, 'we'."

"Even without Pinkie's racket, you losers were just impossibly easy to follow out there."

"I knew it, we- wait, how do you know her name?"

"That's rule number one of warfare, isn't it? Learn everything you can about your opponents." The unicorn rumbled from on high, just before he leapt down into the burning ring and began circling the girls. "And I'm certain there's a lot you girls are in the dark about. Not to worry though, I'll have plenty of time to teach you." His horn shimmered as the flames parted, granting his compatriots entrance to the infernal prison. Dash and Applejack were lobbed unceremoniously back into the group, still recuperating from their beatings.

"Maybe we started off on the wrong hoof here. After all, you didn't even give us a chance to introduce ourselves." The trio snickered as the herd glared at them impotently. The mare motioned at herself, "I'll start it off: I'm Aegis Storm."

"Gale Force!" The Pegasus flashed her wings proudly, nightmarishly silhouetted against the glowing walls.

"Crossbow Bolt." The unicorn flicked his mane as a pulse of energy ran through the fire, creating a menacing glint in his eyes.

"Pax Tenebrae Team 15, at your opposition and dominance." The trio bowed momentarily, only adding to how utterly surreal this all seemed to the girls.

Pinkie hopped forward and grabbed Aegis' hoof, giving it a very genial shaking, "Well, it was really wonderful to meet you all, but we really have to be going, since it's late and all, but we should definitely do this again sometime! How does next Monday sound?"

For a few awkward seconds, the Tenebrae stood utterly bewildered, confused glances flying between each other. Her grin seemed quite genuine, but was she seriously acting like this was some kind of new friendship? Aegis smiled nervously back, "Uh… sure?"

"Great!" Without warning, she let Aegis go, seemingly oblivious to the crash that immediately followed as the unbalanced pony toppled to the ground. "Now, sorry to run, but we kinda need to get back to Ponyville."

Gale landed in front of her, shaking off her confusion about Pinkies behavior long enough to be indignant about it. "Not so fast. I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I think it's high time you handed over those elements. That is…" her eyes flicked down to Rainbow Dash, "…unless you want to try again."

The flames flickered ominously as the girls weighed their rapidly dwindling options. Could it really be that it was hopeless? They'd overcome so much in the past that it seemed insulting to admit defeat now, and yet the Tenebrae had them cornered here. Twilight closed her eyes as she solemnly pulled forth the Element of Magic, much to the bewilderment of her comrades.

"Twilight…"

Aegis grinned approvingly, "Good girl, now the rest of you, do the same before we have to…" She was cut off as the crystalline tiara began to glow.

Twilights eyes flicked open, and the ring of fire was snuffed out as the radiant light from her eyes shone forth into the darkness. "Oh, clop me…" Bolt took a nervous step backwards; this was _not _something he'd been briefed about.

"We will never give in." As the light intensified, the other's saddlebags shone forth with radiant power, awakened by their comrade's need. The Elements of Harmony manifested themselves unbidden upon their bearers, now levitating from the raw power that coursed through them.

"You want the Elements of Harmony? Here."

A blinding pillar of light engulfed the Cavalonians, drowning out their cries of fear in a brilliant pulse of pure harmonious splendor.

:::::

The night closed back in around the group as the corona of harmony dissipated. Before them, the Tenebrae were groggily picking themselves up off the ground, still disoriented from having their brains fried with pure friendship. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as the girls relaxed, glad to finally have that over with.

"Um… are they alright?"

"Well, maybe that'll teach them to accost a lady for her belongings."

"Does this mean we're not on for Monday anymore?"

Gale made a noise that was half-hacking cough, half-insane cackle, instantly setting the herd on edge. "You think… that's it? Just… one and done?" Her eyes were wild, as though something had been snapped inside her. "Good shot… not good… enough…"

"Come ON!" Rainbow growled in exasperation as the Tenebrae began to adopt fighting stances, which was a little hard to do with their sudden onslaught of muscle spasms.

"Round two… c'mon, show us what you-AIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" Bolt's evil snarl turned into a startled squeak as he and his companions were hoisted up in a great black cloud and lobbed off into the depths of the forest. A splash echoed through the trees a moment later, followed by several choice epithets.

"…what?"

"I figured they could use some cooling off." Princess Luna glided in to land next to the girls, who immediately mobbed her in a group hug.

"What're you doing out here?"

She smiled warmly at her friends, "Spike was starting to get worried about you, so I volunteered to come out here and check on you."

Rarity started to giggle at the dragon's concern, but ended up with a yawn, which rippled through her friends. Stress has a habit of wearing ponies out, after all, and that little encounter hadn't exactly been relaxing.

Luna stifled a giggle of her own, "Come on, let's get you all home."

"Am I glad that's over with, those guys were really getting on my nerves."

_Over?_ Luna glanced over the scene as the herd clambered over the tree, eager to make up for lost time. _Your trials have only started, my friends._

A flicker of movement on the ground caught her eye. Barely visible, but all too clear to her sight, were the silhouettes of the three Cavalonians. One might've thought they were simply seared into the ground from the girl's attack if they weren't writhing in mute agony. For a few seconds, their soundless suffering continued before they seemed to burn away, leaving no trace of their presence. A small smile tugged at the Princess' lips as she slowly turned to follow the group. _Perhaps more has started than you know…_

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><p>AN: A thousand apologies for how long this took to get up! School can be downright murderous sometimes, but hopefully it was worth the wait.<p>

Reviews are always welcomed, so please R&R!


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